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Posts: 553
Location: 15 miles east of Lake Kinkaid | Get a job where you make at least six figures but don't have to work from July-November. |
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| Get several good books on the subject, and study them. This helps at any endeavor. Saric and Heiting's "Guide To Musky Hunting" (or some such name) is a good starter. Tony Rizzo's "Secrets of A Muskie Guide" (1), and Dick Pearson's "Muskies On The Shield" are recommended. Be careful with the costs. Don't buy anything because it is cheap, but don't spend your fortune on a fish. Don't go out without a net adequate to the task of boating a muskie--a pike size net will not do. If possible, go out with someone who is experienced. |
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Posts: 149
| The Swan - 8/21/2012 8:54 AM
Get several good books on the subject, and study them. This helps at any endeavor. Saric and Heiting's "Guide To Musky Hunting" (or some such name) is a good starter. Tony Rizzo's "Secrets of A Muskie Guide" (1), and Dick Pearson's "Muskies On The Shield" are recommended. Be careful with the costs. Don't buy anything because it is cheap, but don't spend your fortune on a fish. Don't go out without a net adequate to the task of boating a muskie--a pike size net will not do. If possible, go out with someone who is experienced.
I have read "Time on the Water" and some back issues of Musky Hunter. I am actually going to my local library this week to see if they can order the very books you mentioned. I would love to buy them, but they are 20-25$ each, and I could buy a net or even a rod for the price of 4 or 5 books. May as well try to cut some costs somewhere; apparently I have gotten myself into quite the expensive addiction! |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Highest end stuff on the planet is worthless if you don't have the knowledge to use it correctly. Don't go cheap on the terminal tackle, leaders, hooks, line, reels, rods, hook cutters. Like it was said many times, 5 or so good lures and the knowledge to get the most out of those lures is all you need. |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | if at first you don't succeed, cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast, drink a beer, cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast cast. repeat. |
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Posts: 559
| CHIPVET - 8/20/2012 4:26 PM
Statistics show- over 70% of muskie fisherman get divorced- Your chances of getting a world record fish is 0%- By the time you have everything boat, motor tackle you will have spent well over $100,000- 90% chance of getting regular leg cramps- 100% chance of developing a bad back-80 % chance of becoming an alcoholic- 0 % chance of saving money for your retirement-100% chance of having a lot of fun along the way!!!!!!!!!! I want to fish with this guy |
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Posts: 40
| I've been musky fishing about 8 years now and finally hired a guide this spring where I fish a lot. Should have done it years ago. Try to pick their brain while your out there about other times of year and techniques that have worked. Also watch how they work a boat along break lines. And how to work baits to get most strikes. 2nd advise. Get ready to fish for days while learning without getting a fish in the boat and just keep casting. Lastly learn how to figure 8 and do it every single time!
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Posts: 617
Location: Clintonville, WI | If you haven't already, tell the guide you've hired WHY you have hired him......i.e. you are new to the sport and that you want to learn things beyond fishing with him for that day. Other than learning the places you fish, ask questions about everything else too; everything from knots he uses to why you are fishing where you are at this time of year. |
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Posts: 149
| BigMo - 8/23/2012 12:45 PM
If you haven't already, tell the guide you've hired WHY you have hired him......i.e. you are new to the sport and that you want to learn things beyond fishing with him for that day. Other than learning the places you fish, ask questions about everything else too; everything from knots he uses to why you are fishing where you are at this time of year.
I have a trip planned with Chad Cain. I'm not sure if I will be with him or one of his guides, but I plan on learning all I can learn about muskie fishing that day. Spots, techniques, knots, boat control, lures, rods, reels, line, nets, patterns, etc. I hope whoever the guide is has some patience! |
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Posts: 553
Location: 15 miles east of Lake Kinkaid | You will be with Chad or Scott Donovan; either way you will more than you can absorb in 8 hours. Both are excellent fisherman and you will have a good time in their boat. In that time frame you are almost guaranteed to have a shot at a fish. |
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Posts: 785
| Getting a guide was a good move. As a mostly self taught muskie guy I'd say don't get caught in the thinking of magic lures/magic spots. The most important aspects of muskie fishing are basics; understanding fish location. Followed by boat control, timing and being efficient on the water (making good casts/trolling runs consistently). Basically the stuff you hear the articles and dvd's harping on over and over... yeah it's for a reason. The best muskie fisherman are the best at presenting a good lure infront of the most fish for the longest period of time. Muskies are streaky and feeding windows are key. While you can possibly catch a fish 24 hours a day the best windows in any given day will typically be short, being on fish when that happens is key.
Also as mentioned in 12+ hours on the water you may only have one shot on some days so make it a habit to keep hooks sharp, visually inspect your leader/snaps/line/knots, etc. so when a chance does present itself you don't blow it. Lastly have a game plan figured ahead of time on how the fish will be netted and handled so your ready and the fish is handled with care. It took me awhile to get it (and nobody will ever truly "get it") but just being better at the basics is really what will make you a better muskie fisherman. Hope you tear em up this fall!
Edited by musky-skunk 8/23/2012 2:04 PM
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Posts: 149
| MuskyMATT7 - 8/23/2012 1:06 PM
You will be with Chad or Scott Donovan; either way you will more than you can absorb in 8 hours. Both are excellent fisherman and you will have a good time in their boat. In that time frame you are almost guaranteed to have a shot at a fish.
I hope you are right about having a shot at a fish. I can't wait. |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | Just one that I didn't see added,
Take notes about where, when and how you are fishing the spots you fish..... Structer, the weather, time of day, air and water temp, wind, moon phases, water clarity, color of bait, size of bait, forage in the area (if you can see any). Did you see a fish, get a follow or catch a fish? How far off the bait they were, did they strike away or at the boat? What bait did you use, how fast did you reel it in... The list could go on forever. Anythering and everything you can possibly think of to write down... WRITE DOWN! You don't have to put fish in the net initially to start to figure out what works and when. You should see my logs about what and where, I am not sure how much I have but it is A LOT!. Studieing your own notes will shorten your learning curve also. Once you are able to study what works and when you contacted fish regardless of if you caught it, it will put more fish in your net in the long run.... Oh yeah, join MI, no better network out there of dedicated musky nuts.
But the most important thing is to just have fun, be patient and enjoy your time on the water.... there are a lot of people in the world that are not as lucky as you and I...
Welcom to the dark side... 
Edited by FAT-SKI 8/24/2012 1:22 AM
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Location: Contrarian Island | throw big plastic (mag dawgs, medussas etc) and big double blades.... a lot... |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | I think before hiring a guide you should first fish with a few people that will let you use their stuff. Get an idea for what kind of techniques you prefer, and what tackle you like. Get a feel for if you like tossing jerkbaits, or burning bucktails. Maybe it’s tossing cranks. Don’t let someone tell you which method you like or should use. Determine for yourself which method you like. You can still practice other techniques, but by choosing the one you enjoy you will become very skilled at that one and much more efficient at it and put more fish in the net. Too many people try to chase other peoples techniques without fully understanding what or how to employ that tactic. By starting with what you enjoy your interest to learn and became better will be much higher than if you try to fish ways that just isn’t that fun for you.
Once you do the above then I agree with hiring a guide. However look for one that fishes the area you intend to make your home waters. If you are in MN and hire a guide there that is great. However if you live in WI, plan to fish WI, but hire a guide in MN simply because they put “X” number of fifties in the boat in the end you will not get the best bang for your buck. Sure you might catch a fish, and a big one, but the intent is to hire a guide to learn. You’ll learn how to fish that MN water body and quite frankly the same tactics may not work well on the home water you will be fishing. Also look for a guide that is adept or specializes in the tactic of choice that you found out you enjoy doing by fishing with others. If you discovered you really enjoy throwing crankbaits don’t hire someone that fishes a lot of shallow water. You would be better off finding someone that fishes suspended or deep breaks. You get the point.
I actually think a newcomer could benefit from not hiring a guide their first year or two. Get some time under your belt to determine how you enjoy fishing. Get comfortable with the simple things of casting, figure eighting, etc… so that you can concentrate on just learning when with a guide. Decide for yourself how you like fishing and pursue the appropriate guide. Actually spending some time learning on your own can be much more beneficial than trying to use someone else’s information as when times get tough you will need to know how to solve the problem of putting fish in the boat on your own.
If looking to get books I highly, highly recommend the new one by Tom Gelb named “Musky Strategy”.
If you have any interest in trying deep water, suspended type fishing in northern WI let me know.
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Posts: 1247
Location: On the Niagara River in Buffalo, NY | Keep record of every fish caught,use those records to go back and repeat durring the same conditions and time of year! |
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Posts: 26
| One thing... hmm.... Pick up key baits that are easy to work... like hmmm Musky Innovations Bulldawgs,ummm Top Raiders, Depth Raiders, get your core equipment? Watch some of the T.V. Shows out there and pay attention to what they say and do! Look up stuff, Ask QUESTIONS! Soon it'll come as second nature and you'll be helping people out asking the same questions! GOOD LUCK! |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | go out in the middle of the lake and start chukin baits ... |
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Posts: 149
| Thanks for all the great advice.....I am soaking it all up.
Spent some time on a local small lake that has muskies. Didn't catch a fish. Didn't even have a follow (that we know of.....water clarity is about 6-8 inches). I guess that means I am a real muskie fisherman now!
The lady at the bait shop told us we were the first ones she ever heard of who went out specifically seeking to catch a muskie. Every person I have talked to who fishes this lake has accidently caught a muskie while fishing for bass, crappie, channel cats, etc. So I know they are in there. I'm afraid the local fishermen may view them as a nuisance and kill them when they accidently catch them. I want to be the first one to catch one on purpose. |
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Posts: 8781
| 1. Believe half of what you read, and half of what people tell you. Your job is to figure out which half is BS.
2. Go where there are muskies. Cast muskie lures in the places where they are likely to be hiding.
3. There's no mystery or magic or voodoo required - it's a predatory fish. It's much like a bass or a walleye, except there just aren't as many of them, and they aren't always hungry.
4. There are distinct "feeding windows". That means you can cast for 6 hours, and see nothing, and then catch 3 fish in an hour. There are conditions that usually indicate that the fish should be active. Learn them. Then learn to ignore them.
5. Anybody who tells you they know when the fish are going to eat and why is full of crap.
6. You can go from zero to hero in a single cast.
7. These fish will drive even the most dedicated anglers crazy.
8. No matter how good you are (or think you are) the fish will prove otherwise.
9. Before you buy ANYTHING else, buy some quality release tools and a good net
10. It is better to own 10 lures and know how to work them, and where and when to throw them, it is to have hundreds of lures and not know what to do with them.
Yes, hire a guide. Don't just hire any guide. TALK to them first, and explain that you are just starting out. Fish with someone who is willing to teach, at your level, all day long.
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| Bring an extra roll of toilet paper with you. |
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Posts: 8781
| Guest - 9/11/2012 1:48 PM
Bring an extra roll of toilet paper with you.
Best advice yet!
Yeah, go ahead and laugh. But if you're out on the lake and you gotta go, and you don't have any TP? You ain't gonna enjoy the rest of your day much. |
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Posts: 504
Location: Ludington, MI | Sled nailed it. Do or do not. There is no try. |
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Posts: 16
| Give it up before you go " Insane"..............
and just remember you'll always be a "FIB"........... |
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